1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cart, and more particularly to a cart that is intended for use in hiking, camping, and the like, to facilitate the transportation of heavy backpacks on narrow trails and over rough terrain. This cart provides a degree of maneuverability, balance, and ease of use heretofore unattainable. The popularity of hiking and camping and the availability of backpacks for enhancing the comfort of trips into the mountains and other recreational areas emphasize the problems of transporting supplies into remote areas over narrow trails and rough terrain. The common practice is to carry all such supplies in backpacks, and these backpacks have been been improved to the extent that they support larger loads and are organized to carry the essentials for camping. However, the weight of the supplies supported by the hikers is burdensome and constitutes a restriction on the distances which can be traveled in a given period of time.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,354. This patent discloses a cart for two hikers to transport a load which includes a single wheel with elongate frame disposed directly over the wheel. Braces supporting the frame on the wheel extend closely adjacent to the wheel to minimize the width. A pair of U-shaped handle bars are mounted at opposite ends of the elongate frame so that two persons can direct and propel the wheel with its load supporting frame. A pair of containers, in this case, open end mesh baskets, are hooked over the frame on opposite sides of the wheel for containing the load. With this arrangement, the load is balanced and the containers extend down alongside the wheel so as to lower the center of gravity. The frame members are interconnected by nuts and bolts so that the entire device can be disassembled to a compact shape.
By way of fundamental improvement, the cart of this current invention has continuously incremental adjustment positions for the height of each handle. Further, a unique suspension system is mounted between the wheel and the frame to cushion the shock to the cart, its load, and the operators.